Wall support device

ABSTRACT

A bracing apparatus for use with a partially or fully built wall. The wall extends upward from a base surface and has a top surface, a first face and a second face. The wall is constructed from a plurality of stacked masonry forms. The bracing apparatus includes first and second support members, a lock and a base securing mechanism. The first support member rests on the top surface of the wall and has a first brace extending downward adjacent the first face. The second support member is movably connected to the first support member and has a second brace extending downward adjacent the second face. The lock is connected to the first and second support members and is capable of securing the first and second support members in a position substantially equal to the width of at least one of the masonry forms. The ground securing mechanism is connected to at least one of the first and second support members and the base surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wall support system. In particular,the present invention relates to the field of wall support devices thathold a wall erect during construction.

When building a masonry or other similar wall, the section of wall whichhas been erected remains free-standing until the entire wall is finishedand until the roof framework or upper story framework has beenconstructed so as to permanently support the wall. During this point inthe construction, if a wall is improperly supported, the wall may falldown if subject to external forces such as a strong wind resulting froma storm, etc. In addition to the significant expense entailed inrebuilding the wall, workers at the construction site may be injured bythe falling wall.

Wall support braces have been previously developed for various purposes.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,667 issued to Peden, on Sep. 6, 1994,discloses a form brace for use during the construction of a concretewall. The brace includes a spacer that holds two form boards against therecently poured concrete. Two struts extend downward from the spacertoward the ground in order to support the spacer. Each strut is formedfrom two telescoping portions so that the relative length of the strutscan be adjusted.

Another example of a wall support assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No.4,079,556 issued to Luck et al. on Mar. 21, 1978. The assembly includesa plurality of plates that are inserted between various courses of amasonry wall. Anchor assemblies are secured to the ends of the platesand the ground.

While various support devices have been developed for use with specifictypes of walls, few developments appear to have been made in providing auniversal support device useful with masonry forms of varying widths.Obviously, a more efficient wall support device is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bracing apparatus for use with apartially or fully built wall. The wall is constructed from a pluralityof stacked masonry forms. The wall extends upward from the ground or abase surface and has a top surface, a first face and a second face. Thebracing apparatus includes first and second support members, a lock anda base securing mechanism. The first support member rests on the topsurface of the wall and has a first brace extending downward adjacentthe first face. The second support member is movably connected to thefirst support member and has a second brace extending downward adjacentthe second face. The lock is connected to the first and second supportmembers and secures the first and second support members in a positionsubstantially equal to the width of at least one of the masonry forms.The ground securing mechanism is connected to at least one of the firstand second support members and the ground or a base surface.

The present invention will be best understood with reference to thedetailed description below read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the support member shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of thewall support system 10 of the present invention including the partiallybuilt wall 12 and support member 14. The wall 12 extends upward from abase surface 15. The base surface may be the ground or a man-made base.As used herein, the term "base surface" refers to either the ground or aman-made base. The wall 12 includes a top surface 16, a first face 18,and a second face 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the wall 12 is made from aplurality of masonry blocks 21 laid upon one another with mortartherebetween. It should be appreciated that the support member 14 can beused to support many different types of masonry such as cinder blocks orbricks. In addition, it is an important aspect of the present inventionthat the support brace 14 be capable of use with masonry forms having awide variety of widths such as 4", 6", 8", 10" and 12".

In the embodiment illustrated, the support member 14 has a first end 30and a second end 32. A first brace 34 extends downward from the supportmember 14 a short distance from the center 36. A plurality of threadedapertures 37 are formed on the support member 14 approximately betweenthe center 36 and the second end 32. The support member 14 furtherincludes a first angled brace 38 that extends between the first end 30of the support member 14 and the base 40 of the first brace 34. Anattachment member 42 is centrally located on the first angled brace 38.The attachment member 42 extends outward from the first angled brace 38in the form of a tab. An aperture 44 is located therein.

The second support member or mating member 50 also has a first end 52and a second end 54. A rectangular and horizontally extending passageway56 extends through the upper portion 58 of the mating member 50. Inaddition, threaded apertures 60 are located on the top and bottomsurfaces 62, 64 of the upper portion 58 of the mating member 50 (onlythe apertures on the top surface 62 are shown). In a manner similar tothe support member 14, a second brace 70 extends downward from themating member 50. However, the second brace 70 extends downward from thefirst end 52 of the mating member 50. A second angled brace 72 extendsbetween the second end 54 of the mating member 50 and the base 74 of thesecond brace 70. A second attachment member 76 is centrally located onthe second angled brace 72. The second attachment member 76 extendsoutward from the second angled support member 72 in the form of a tab.An aperture 78 is located therein. Locking elements 90 include a gripportion 92 and a downwardly extending threaded rod 94. The threaded rod94 is sized to be received within the threaded apertures 60 and 37.

As shown in FIG. 1, a ground securing mechanism 94 is connected to theattachment members 42 and 76. More specifically, in the illustratedembodiment, the ground securing mechanism comprises wires 96 havingupper ends 97 that are secured to the attachment members 42 and 46through their respective apertures 44 and 78. Ground engagement elements98 are attached to the lower ends 99 of the wires 96. The groundengagement elements 98 have a corkscrew shape and are secured to thebase surface 15. It should be recognized, however, that a wide varietyof ground securing mechanisms such as telescoping poles and groundsecuring pins could also be used to anchor the support member 14.

The system 10 is assembled as shown in FIG. 1. The center 36 of thesupport member 14 is positioned approximately at the center of the topsurface 16 of the wall 12. The first brace 34 extends downward adjacentthe second face 20 in order to thereby support the wall 12. The matingmember 50 is then slid into engagement with the support member 14 sothat the second brace extends downward adjacent the first face 18 of thewall 12. More specifically, the passageway 56 receives a portion of thesupport member between the center 36 and the second end 32.

Once the support member 14 and the mating member 50 are engaged so thatthe first and second braces 34, 70 are positioned adjacent the firstface and the second face 18, 20, a user locks these elements into afixed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the lock comprises thelocking elements 90 and threaded apertures 60. In particular, a usergrabs the grip portion 92 and rotates the threaded rod 94 into thethreaded apertures 60, 37. In this manner, the mating member 50 islocked into a selected position relative to the support member 14. Itwill be appreciated that other suitable lock or locking mechanisms canalso be used.

After the support member 14 and the mating member 50 are lockedtogether, these elements are secured to the base surface 15 through atleast one of the illustrated or described ground securing mechanisms 94.In a preferred embodiment, a ground securing mechanism 94 is provided oneach side of the wall 12. In other words, the ground engagement elements98 are twisted into the base surface 15 in order to thereby secure thesystem 10 against lateral forces.

In order to disassemble the system 10, a user removes the groundengagement elements 98 from connection with the base surface 15 anddisengages the locking elements 90. The mating member 50 and supportmember 14 can then be disengaged and construction of the wall 12continued. If necessary, in the future, the system could be reassembledas described above.

In the preferred embodiment, the support member 14 and the matingelement 50 are made from rectangular-shaped 12 ga. steel tubing.However, these elements and the other elements of the present inventioncould be easily constructed from a wide variety of materials withvarying shapes known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The embodiment described is illustrative and not restrictive. The scopeof the invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. The invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, thelocking mechanism or the ground securing mechanism could be easilymodified without departing from the spirit of this invention. Similarly,the specific materials used or the configurations of the parts may beeasily changed. Accordingly, all changes which come within the scope ofthe claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:
 1. A bracing apparatus for use with a wall constructed from aplurality of vertically stacked masonry forms and extending upward froma base surface, said wall having a top surface, a first face and asecond face, said bracing apparatus comprising:a first support memberadapted to rest on said top surface of said wall, said first supportmember having a first brace extending downward adjacent said first faceof said wall; a second support member movably connected relative to saidfirst support member, said second support member capable of beingselectively positioned along a length of said first support member andhaving a second brace extending downward adjacent said second face ofsaid wall; a lock connected to said first and second support members,said lock adjustably securing said first and second support members in aposition substantially equal to the width of at least one of saidmasonry forms; and a base securing mechanism connected to at least oneof said first and second support members, and said base surface; wherebysaid bracing apparatus is adjustable relative to the distance betweensaid first face and second face of said wall and is capable ofsupporting said wall during construction thereof.
 2. The bracingapparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second support membersfurther include first and second angled braces extending downward fromsaid first and second support members to said first and second braces,respectively.
 3. The bracing apparatus of claim 2 wherein said angledbraces further include an attachment member for connecting said basesecuring mechanism thereto.
 4. The bracing apparatus of claim 3 whereinsaid attachment member comprises an outwardly extending tab having anaperture therethrough.
 5. The bracing apparatus of claim 4 wherein saidbase securing mechanism comprises a metal wire.
 6. The bracing apparatusof claim 5 wherein said base securing mechanism further includes acorkscrew shaped metal element.
 7. The bracing apparatus of claims 1 or6 wherein said lock comprises a locking bolt that extends through afirst aperture in said first and second support members.
 8. The bracingapparatus of claim 7 wherein said locking mechanism further includes asecond locking bolt that extends through second apertures in said firstand second support members.
 9. The bracing apparatus of claim 8 whereinsaid first and second support members are formed from rectangular shapedtubing.
 10. The wall support apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first andsecond support members are made from 12 ga. steel tubing.
 11. A wallsupport system comprising:a wall extending upward from a base surface,said wall having a top surface, a first face and a second face; abracing system comprising:a support member adapted to rest on said topsurface of said wall, said support member having a first end and asecond end, and a first bracing member extending downward adjacent saidfirst face of said wall; a mating member connected to said supportmember, said mating member capable of being selectively positioned alonga length of said support member and having a second bracing memberextending downward adjacent said second face of said wall; a lockconnected to said support member and said mating member, said lockingmechanism capable of securing said mating member in one of a pluralityof selected positions along said support member; a base securingmechanism connected to said support member and said mating member, andsaid base surface; whereby said bracing system is adjustable relative tothe distance between said first face and second face of said wall and iscapable of supporting said wall during construction.
 12. The wallsupport system of claim 11 wherein said support member and said matingmember further comprise first and second angled support membersextending downward from said support member and said mating member tosaid first and second support members, respectively.
 13. The wallsupport system of claim 12 wherein said angled support members furtherinclude an attachment member located thereon for connecting said basesecuring mechanism thereto.
 14. The wall support system of claim 13Wherein said attachment member comprises an outwardly extending tabhaving an aperture therethrough.
 15. The wall support system of claim 11or 14 wherein said base securing mechanism comprises a metal wire. 16.The wall support system of claim 15 wherein said base securing mechanismfurther comprises a corkscrew shaped metal element for insertion intothe base surface.
 17. The wall support system of claim 16 wherein saidlock comprises a locking bolt that extends through a first aperture insaid support member and a first aperture in said mating member, saidapertures extending coaxially.
 18. The wall support system of claim 17wherein said locking mechanism further comprises a second locking boltthat extends through second apertures in said support member and saidmating member, said second apertures extending coaxially.
 19. The wallsupport system of claim 18 wherein said support member and said matingmember are made from 12 ga. steel tubing.
 20. The wall support system ofclaim 19 wherein said support member and said mating member are formedfrom rectangular tubing.